Kajagoogoo

Kajagoogoo are an English new wave and pop rock group from Leighton Buzzard, England. The band forms in 1982 from an earlier Leighton Buzzard group, Art Nouveau, which begins in 1979 as a four-piece instrumental act with Nick Beggs on bass guitar, Steve Askew on lead guitar, Stuart Neale on keyboards and Jez Strode on drums. Under the Art Nouveau name, the group releases the track “The Fear Machine”, plays the John Peel show and sells only a few hundred copies, but does not secure a record deal.

Formation and line-up

In 1981 the group advertises for a lead singer and chooses Christopher Hamill, who adopts the stage name Limahl. The band name changes to Kajagoogoo, a stylised version of “GagaGooGoo”. The recognised line-up includes Limahl, Jez Strode, Steve Askew, Nick Beggs and Stuart Croxford Neale. The group is active from 1982 to 1985.

Recording and chart success

Kajagoogoo sign to EMI in 1982 and their first album, White Feathers, is produced by Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran and Colin Thurston. Their debut single, “Too Shy”, becomes their best-known release, reaching number 1 in the UK and number 5 in the United States in 1983. Follow-up singles “Ooh to Be Ah” and “Hang on Now” both reach the UK top twenty. The band attracts the interest of record labels while performing at the Embassy Club in London.

Later changes and reunion activity

Limahl leaves the group in 1983 after a major disagreement, and Nick Beggs takes over on vocals, but the band’s chart success ends. Kajagoogoo later try to relaunch as Kaja in 1985, which does not succeed. After the original run, Limahl pursues a solo career and has a hit with the theme song “Neverending Story”. The band later appears on VH1’s Bands Reunited and performs at the Scala club in London for the programme. In 2007 Beggs, Askew and Neale continue to play as Kajagoogoo, and the single “Rocket Boy” appears as the group’s first single in 22 years. The full original line-up then reforms and signs a new contract in 2008, with the group relaunching its website and making available the free album Gone to the Moon and other downloads.